Cody Franson is Flexible, yet Still Unsigned

Three weeks into free agency and we are finally learning a little bit more about Cody Franson’s search for a new team. We have all been wondering why this 27-year-old offensively minded defenseman with a 6-foot-5-inch frame is still on the market.

It isn’t that teams aren’t interested, apparently he is talking to about five or six, or that he is asking for too many years or too much money. No, it is just that some teams don’t have the money, or just aren’t willing to allot that much (time and/or money) to one player.

Franson conducted a radio interview with TSN 1040 about his situation. The NHL reported:

“There are some very interested [teams], but some teams are in cap situations and all the rest that comes with it,” Franson said. “So everything is just kind of slowly rolling, but definitely [we] have some action.”Franson has played the past three seasons on one-year contracts. He said he is looking for a multiyear contract this summer. His contract last season carried a $3.3 million salary-cap charge.“Obviously, I’d like to get something a little more than one year,” he said. “I’m sick of doing one-year deals. But we’re open to all suggestions, really.“We haven’t said a number and we’ll take nothing less, or a term and we’ll take nothing less than that. We haven’t said that at all. We’ve had a lot of teams call to see where we’re at. We just said in a certain ballpark. Nobody has laughed at us. Everybody has thought it was reasonable. It’s just one of those things that some teams we’re talking to are in cap crunches and some teams don’t want to go maybe as long. It’s a number of different circumstances. Hopefully something happens sooner than later.” [NHL]

Asking for more than one year isn’t an outlandish request. The kid is in his late 20s and is coming off a decent year (well, first half of a year in Toronto). I’m not saying he needs something long-term, like five or six years, but I could understand if he is looking for three or four. He’d only be 31 when the contract ended.

Franson is in a really interesting situation. He has teams approaching him, but they are just unwilling to bite. It goes with the trend we have been seeing this summer; many GMs have been acting cautiously and steering clear of big deals or long terms (in free agency that is).

A majority of UFAs that were signed haven’t received anything more than two years. If you look at TSN’s free agency tracker, you will see lots of ones in the contract term column. That should give you a clearer perspective on the mindset of GMs and what they are willing to offer players.

So part of the reason Franson is still unsigned is because of teams lacking money or being unwilling to give him the years. Another part is where does Franson want to play? Does he want to go to Arizona (I don’t know if he’s talking to them I am just using this as an example), a team with a lot of work to do in order to become a contender? Hey, they have the money and could definitely use a defenseman of his talents.

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